National anthem controversies

Aaron Lewis of Staind bungled the second line of the national anthem before Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday. He began correctly with "What so proudly we hailed," but instead of finishing with "at the twilight's last gleaming" he sang "were so gallantly streaming." Those words appear later in the song. In an apology posted online, he said, "My nerves got the best of me and I am completely torn up about what happened."

James Taylor got mixed up before Game 2 of the World Series in 2013, when he began singing the words to "America the Beautiful" instead of "The Star-Spangled Banner." But the singer quickly and smoothly recovered, going straight into the correct lyrics. Taylor did have an excuse: he was also performing "America the Beautiful" that same night during the seventh inning stretch.

Take a look at other renditions of the National Anthem that have drawn controversy for one reason or another.

In June 2013, 11-year-old Mexican-American Sebastien De La Cruz was the subject of racist tweets when he wore a mariachi outfit while singing the national anthem before games 3 and 4 of the NBA finals in his hometown of San Antonio.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler tackled "The Star-Spangled Banner" at 2012's AFC Championship game, but not everyone was impressed. Tyler tried to add his trademark scream to jazz it up, but between that and him not saying all the words correctly, many people called it the "worst national anthem performance of all time."

Singer Alicia Keys was called "disrespectful" for sitting while playing the piano as she performed the National Anthem prior to the start of the NFL Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.

Olympian track star Carl Lewis drew controversy for his less-than-moving rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner" in what some called "the worst anthem ever" before a 1993 Nets vs. Bulls game.

Christina Aguilera took a lot of flack for famously flubbing the lyrics to the national anthem before Super Bowl XLV in 2011.

Whitney Houston sang the National Anthem before before the 1991 Super Bowl in what some thought was one of the best national anthem performances of all time. However, in the days following Houston's performance, a controversy arose when it was reported that she lip-synched to her own pre-recorded version of the song.

Jimi Hendrix let loose at Woodstock in 1969 with a rendition of the National Anthem on electric guitar that's been called everything from the most important political rock statement of the 1960s, to an afterthought caught in one of Hendrix's worst performances. But there was no question the performance was controversial.

Famous for many controversial moments, Roseanne Barr's version of the Star-Spangled Banner is one of the most notable ever. Barr screeched through the song and added some clichéd baseball humor by spitting and grabbing her crotch. President George Bush called it "disgusting" and "a disgrace," but Barr defended her performance by writing in her book, "I'm an American, and that is my song, too."

During a 2013 Memorial Cup game, Canadian singer Alexis Normand severely distorted the U.S. national anthem, stumbling through the lyrics and even pausing at times as she seemed to forget full phrases. Fortunately, audience members at the Canadian ice hockey tournament were good sports and helped Normand finish the song.

One of the most talked-about "Star-Spangled Banner" renditions was Beyonce's performance at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2013, which turned out to be a prerecorded version of the song. Beyoncé explained that a lack of rehearsal opportunity with the military band before the inauguration led her to use a vocal backing track during that ceremony, which some say is somewhat of an industry standard.

During a 2003 NBA game between the Trail Blazers and the Mavericks, 13-year-old singer Natalie Gilbert forgot the words at "At the twilight's last gleaming" and could never recover from there. Then-Trail Blazers coach Mo Cheeks rushed over to help her and they finished it together, as the entire Rose Garden Arena crowd sang with them.

Comments

The views expressed below are not those of News4Jax or its affiliated companies. By clicking on "Post," you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and your comment is in compliance with such terms. Readers, please help keep this discussion respectful and on topic by flagging comments that are offensive or inappropriate (hover over the commenter's name and you'll see the flag option appear on right side of that line). And remember, respect goes both ways: Tolerance of others' opinions is important in a free discourse. If you're easily offended by strong opinions, you might skip reading comments entirely.